Birding sites Antigua

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Antigua & Barbuda Antigua (pronounced An-tee'ga) and Barbuda are located in the middle of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, roughly 17 degrees north of the equator. To the south are the islands of Montserrat and Guadaloupe, and to the north and west are Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Barts, and St. Martin.

Bird Island This important environmental area includes six small offshore islands in North Sound on the north-east side of Antigua. Great Bird Island is a tiny islet lying almost three kilometres north-east of Antigua. Measuring just 20 acres, it is the only place on Earth where you can see an Antiguan Racer in the wild. The entire world population of this snake lives on the island.Great Bird Island was named by sailors who were amazed at the number of birds that they found living and nesting there, it is a miniature paradise. As well as being the last refuge of the Antiguan racer, it is also home to a variety of other endangered creatures including a rare lizard, brown pelicans, West Indian whistling ducks and red-billed tropicbirds. Luckily for the snake, there are no mongooses on the island, but, until recently, hundreds of black rats lived there. The rats were eliminated by the Antigua Racer Conservation Project.A long, narrow coral ridge with 30 metre-high cliffs runs along the east side of the island. The ridge drops down to a flat sandy area, covered with grass and a few scattered plants and trees. The white sand beaches at either end of the sandbar are the main attraction for visitors. Further west, where the land rises again, the island is covered with forest that is almost too thick to walk through.

Field guide to the Birds of the West Indies Covers all species occurring in the West Indies. The book uses the plates from the acclaimed Birds of the West Indies (Helm), with concise text on facing pages covering all aspects of field identification. It is a lightweight and easy-to-use guide to the spectacular West Indian avifauna, perfect for experienced birders and interested laypersons alike.

Ground dove Columbina passerina A very common bird found on the ground searching out grass seeds. They are very well camouflaged in brown. The ground dove (left) is a small bird six to seven inches long. The call is a whoop or perwhoop uttered two to twenty four times. They are quite tame on approach and nest on or near the ground.

Wallings forest and reservoir One of the finest mixed evergreen deciduous forest walks may be had at Wallings. Proceed westerly from John Hughes village up a slight gradient. At the top on turning to the left, is the pumping station of Wallings reservoir. From the station, start walking westerly to find the footpath that leads to the reservoir. Proceed slowly and quietly to listen and watch for birds. If you are lucky you could observe a black whiskered vireo (Vireo altiloquus), Antillean euphonia (Euphonia musica) or a red-necked pigeon (Columba squamosa). On your way back, explore the back of the reservoir where some interesting water diversion channels and sediment traps can be seen.The predominant tree species are locust (Hymenaea courbaril), ironwood (Exostema caribaeum), mahoe (Daphnosis caribaea), black loblolly (Pisonia fragrans), and mango, (Mangifera indica). Of the mid-level types are white cedar (Tabebuia pallida), turpentine (Bursera simaruba), and gunstock (Gauzuma martinicense). In the lower level are mahogany (Swietenia mohogani), Spanish oak (Inga laurina) and white prickle (Zanthoxylum martinicense). Birds;-Antillean Euphonia, Red Necked Pigeon. Wallings Dam  Broadwinged Hawk, Grey Kingbird, White Crowned Pigeon, Bananaquit, Antillean Crested Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Redstart, Black-whiskered Vireo, Antillean Bullfinch, Black-faced Grassquit,

West Indian Whistling-duck and Wetlands Conservation ProjectThis is an initiative of the WIWD Working Group of the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB) that is supported by BirdLife International.

The project seeks to improve the status of the globally threatened WIWD and wetlands throughout the Caribbean. Initiated in 1997, the program provides local teachers and educators with training and educational materials and works to raise public awareness and appreciation for the value of local wetlands. The project also develops Watchable Wildlife Ponds  wetlands equipped with interpretive signs and viewing areas where local people, school groups, and tourists can easily observe whistling-ducks and other wildlife.Click here or the logo (left) for this web site...

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